Slim Thick, Katrina Cain-Griffin Smoking, Cristian Lorca………………………………………………………………………254 Stan, Christopher Annett………………………………………………………………………266 Stan, Kristen Dodds……………………………………………………………………………268

Stan

Christopher Annett

The keyword “stan” is a popular word spreading across social media like Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok and is used primarily among younger people and youth. This word refers to a fans of celebrities who may go to any length to prove their devotion to their favourite celebrity. The history of this word comes from an Eminem song named Stan about a dangerous devoted fan who is willing to kill another person in order to impress the rapper. This term has raised to prominence online within the last 5 years and other origins of the name may also be from the combination of the words “stalker” and “fan” (Oliver, 2021). The word is used as a noun and a verb as someone can identify as a stan and they can also stan a new song, film, social media post, personal romantic relationship, etc. Most stans use social media anonymously and create names and post pictures related to their chosen idolized celebrity. Some of the activities that typical stans do online may consist of repeatedly streaming artists songs to raise their place on music charts, regularly posting about their celebrity, creating and popularizing hashtags, raising money for causes celebrities endorse, participating in “stanwars” of perceived celebrity rivals, and defending their celebrity during scandals (Vincente, 2021). Although the history of “stanning” a celebrity stems from unhealthy roots the term may have been co-opted by well-meaning individuals and social media users who have a healthy frame of reference for celebrity boundaries. As words are used by people and groups their meanings can change over time and can separate from the murderous connotations of its origin. However, there have been cases in which stans have broken into celebrities’s houses, or threaten to kill celebrities’ entire families. Still these examples are quite rare and extreme. The word “stan” is important to the study of adolescence and health because with the combination of smartphone access and social media young people may not have the resistance to compel themselves to stop their unhealthy celebrity worship. In the past it wasn’t uncommon to hear of excited fans of celebrities and groups such as The Beatles, Micheal Jackson, etc showing their adoration. At that time fans could write letters or read about celebrities in magazines and it was mostly one-way communication. However, now with smartphones and social media, nefarious celebrities can also more efficiently prey upon their devoted fans and cause harm or sexual abuse such as the case of Hedley singer, Jacob Hoggard’s, sexual assault and rape of a fan in the publicized trial in October 2022 (Casey, 2022). With the addition of addictive smartphones psychologically designed to keep viewers using their devices it is a dangerous combination that can increase the dangers of celebrity worship. This word can help us understand the experiences of young people in that they may end up caught up in a swarm of celebrity worship that perhaps could lead to unhealthy patterns of behaviour such as idolization, believing it’s okay to have constant access to a celebrity’s life, promotion of stalking, and the encouragement of online bullying of people who don’t like a celebrity. The glorification of celebrity worship is alarming given the dangers of it going too far:

Individuals with high scores on celebrity-worship scales tend to display a number of psychosocial characteristics. For example, these individuals may harbor concerns about body image (particularly young adolescents), be more prone to cosmetic surgery, and have a personality style characterized by sensation-seeking, cognitive rigidity, identity diffusion, and poor interpersonal boundaries. Likewise, celebrity worshippers may exhibit narcissistic features, dissociation, addictive tendencies, stalking behavior, and compulsive buying. Studies also indicate that individuals with high levels of celebrity worship are more likely to have poorer mental health as well as clinical symptoms of depression, anxiety, and social dysfunction. (Sansone & Sansone, 2014, p.39) The term stan is related to youth’s health and well-being because the viral nature of social media means apps like Twitter, Instagram, or TikTok can become explosive unpredictable agents of radicalization which may connect youth with mentally ill people or may warp youths’ perceptions altogether. These online echo chambers may encourage dangerous behaviour and herd mentality. People, and especially naive and young adolescents, want celebrities to be unique and at the same time relatable. This contradiction can cause conflict for young minds when a celebrity goes through a heinous scandal or when they find out they aren’t perfect. It is important for adolescents to not hold celebrities to high standards as they are human too with all the typical shortcomings and faults. Analyzing the word stan is one way to view a small possible trajectory of adolescent development and health as it is displayed on online communities like social media. References

Casey, L. (2022, October 20). Hedley frontman Jacob Hoggard sentenced to five years, granted bail pending appeal. Global News. https://globalnews.ca/news/9213102/jacob-hoggard- hedleysexual-assault-sentencing/ Oliver, D. (2021, September 7). 'Stan' culture needs to stop – or at least radically change. Here's why. USA Today. https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2021/09/07/stan-culture-fans-needreconsider-how- they-worship-celebrities/5666108001/ Sansone, R. A., & Sansone, L. A. (2014). "I'm Your Number One Fan"- A Clinical Look at Celebrity Worship. Innovations in clinical neuroscience, 11(1-2), 39–43. Vincente, V. (2021, November 24). What Is a “Stan,” and Where Does the Name Come From?. How-To Geek. https://www.howtogeek.com/684055/what-is-a-stan-and-where-does-the- namecome-from/

Stan

Kristen Dodds

Stan has become a very prominent word among adolescents’ vocabulary today. Being a stan refers to the youth’s obsession towards a certain celebrity. Stan culture includes many different sub-groups including actors, TV shows, and most prominently, musicians. The term was developed by famous rapper Eminem in his song “Stan.” Eminem came out with “Stan” in 2000 to talk about the unhealthy worship-like obsession fans have towards celebrities. The word itself is a blend of the words “stalker” and “fan” (The Take, 2021). Eminem’s depiction of stans gave the general public a very negative perception of these fans, and older generations already found these types of fandoms to be trivial (Raviv, 1996, 645). While many adults may look at stan culture negatively, it has allowed adolescents to find people with similar interests and create a community that has a positive influence on those involved.

More recently, and thanks to the internet, stan has now become a label many youth are proud of and self-identify with. There are many famous and extremely devoted stan groups, including Beyonce’s Beyhive, One Direction’s Directioners, and Taylor Swift’s Swifties (The Take, 2021). Through being a stan of these artists, many youths have been able to positively contribute to society. An example of this is how the BTS A.R.M.Y. matched BTS’ $1 million donation towards the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020 (Rolli, 2020). It is important to acknowledge that while stan culture has allowed adolescents to have a

safe place in a community that welcomes them, there is toxicity behind the idea of being a stan, as too many people, this becomes an idolization of the celebrity, to the point where fans will be toxic to anyone that dismisses or threatens their celebrity (Raviv, 1996, 632). This can lead to cyberbullying among different stan groups, which can make a safe place for many young people dangerous very quickly. This word is important in the study of adolescent health and well-being because it shows how great of an impact celebrity culture can have on an adolescent’s life. Youth can develop para-social relationships with celebrities they have never met before yet they feel like they know so well and sometimes see themselves represented in the artist. As seen with the example above, the para-social relationship led many youths to mimic the behaviours of who they stan, which can lead to them making a positive, or possibly negative, impact in their community and online (Raviv, 1996, 645). We as adults must make sure to monitor the stan behaviour to make sure it is a healthy and safe environment for adolescents, but it is also important that we allow adolescents to find a community, even if it is through the act of “stanning” an artist, as it brings them joy. For more information on the topic, I suggest examining “The Rise of the Stan, Explained | What Does It Meme?”, a video by The Take which gives a great rundown on the history of stan culture and what it means in today’s world. For a more academic resource, I recommend reading “Adolescent idolization of pop singers: Causes, expressions, and reliance. Journal of Youth and

Adolescence”, which looks into how stan culture and the idolization of pop singers affects adolescents’ well-being and how adolescents’ worship the celebrities they grow up with.

References

Raviv, Bar-Tal, D., Raviv, A., & Ben-Horin, A. (1996). Adolescent idolization of pop singers: Causes, expressions, and reliance. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 25(5), 631–650. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01537358

Rolli, B. (2020, June 8). BTS Army matched the group's $1 million black lives matter donation, proving the positive power of fandoms. Forbes.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/bryanrolli/2020/06/08/bts-army-black-lives-matter-1million-donation/?sh=58fc55ae6465

Son of Alan. (n.d). Drawing of different Stan Groups Working and Partying in One Room. [Image]. New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/25/arts/music/pop-musicsuperfans-stans.html The Take. (2021, February 16), “The Rise of the Stan, Explained | What Does It Meme?” [Video] YouTube. https://youtu.be/QxC4a233zM0